About this playlist

Other than the bounty of synthesizers and the surge of reunions and comebacks from alt rock vets, there wasn't really a dominating trend within indie music this year. But there were good songs of all stripes all over the place in 2013, from Speedy Ortiz's uncharacteristically pretty ballad "No Below" to They Might Be Giants' impassioned two-minute biography "Tesla" to math-rockers Foals making disco gorgeous on "My Number." Even The Strokes turned out a solid funk jam in "Tap Out," while Trent Reznor tried his hand at mature, sexy pop with Nine Inch Nails' "Copy of A." There was also Kimya Dawson and Aesop Rock's Uncluded project ("Organs"), which was ignored simply because it didn't fit into any box. And Sleigh Bells ("Sing Like a Wire") and The Dismemberment Plan ("Mexico City Christmas") deserved more attention than they got, too. Here are 50 alt anomalies from 2013 that are absolutely worth your time.